Can Fertility Awareness help me to get Pregnant?
So you have decided to have a baby – this is an exciting time for you and your partner! Trying to conceive can also be extremely stressful when things don’t go the way that you planned. Fertility Awareness can help to take some of the stress out for you, by giving you a deep understanding of your fertility, and when to focus your baby making efforts each cycle.
At Natural Fertility NZ, we teach a slightly simpler version of the Sympto-thermal Method (STM) for those who are trying to conceive (TTC). Once you have learnt this, it’s easy to switch to the full STM for avoiding conception. We find that many couples start by learning the STM to avoid conception after coming off hormonal contraception – with the intention of using the method to TTC when they are ready.
Understanding your fertility can shorten the time to conception
Through the process of working with your Fertility Educator, you will be able to:
- Begin a preconception health plan
- Identify the start of fertility in any given cycle
- Know the best times to have intercourse
- Identify and confirm ovulation
- Measure the length of your luteal phase
- Notice if a hormonal imbalance is present
Knowledge is power, and that is especially true when on a ‘to conceive’ journey. The insight you gain through learning fertility awareness will help you to shorten how long it takes to get pregnant.
I have irregular cycles, can I still use Fertility Awareness?
The simple answer is – Yes! If you have irregular cycles, or have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), then fertility awareness can help you to conceive.
The main issue with irregular cycles when trying to conceive, is that you don’t know when you are going to ovulate each cycle, as this day will be earlier in some cycles, and later in others.
It’s a race to catch the egg sometimes, which can leave you feeling frustrated if you have been trying for some months. It is common to rely on ovulation tests, which check for the surge in luteinising hormone just before ovulation – however there are 2 main reasons why these are not recommended:
- Your body might gear up to ovulate more than one time each cycle, so you may think that you have ovulated and stop trying – and miss the egg!
- They don’t give you much of a window of opportunity, which can lead to stress, and potentially leading to the sperm not being in the right place at the right time.
Ovulation strips can also become costly if you are experiencing very long cycles.
With fertility awareness you will learn how to identify the start of fertility, and also confirm once ovulation has occurred. It will give you peace of mind, knowing when to have baby making sex, and when you can take it a little easier.
Preconception Healthcare
Preconception healthcare is an important part of your journey to become a parent, it helps to prepare healthy sperm and eggs, and also to prepare your body for a healthy pregnancy.
At the very minimum, you need to be taking a folic acid supplement (which can be prescribed by your GP).
There 3 steps that you can take as part of your preconception plan:
- Visit your GP – they will run some prenatal blood tests, and prescribe you folic acid and iodine
- Self care – looking after your health by not smoking or drinking, and eating a balanced diet
- Learning about your fertility
Many of NFNZ’s Fertility Educators have extensive training in natural healthcare and nutrition, they can support you further with making healthy changes, or they can refer you on.
How can I learn Fertility Awareness to help me conceive?
Choose your Fertility Educator, and make an appointment either in person, on the phone, or online. You will have a total of 3 appointments:
- At the first appointment, you will learn how to recognise and record your signs of fertility on a paper chart
- At the second appointment, you will learn how to identify when your fertility starts and ends on your first chart
- At the third appointment, you will bring your 2nd chart, and your Fertility Educator will make sure you understand how to interpret it.
You will also learn about cervical palpation (checking the cervix) which is an optional extra check, and also preconception healthcare.
How long should it take to get pregnant?
It generally takes 6-12 months for the average kiwi couple to conceive, which is not what many people expect when they start their trying to conceive (TTC) journey.
If however you know when your fertility starts and ends each cycle, you are in a much better position for successful conception.
Infertility
While practicing fertility awareness, along with the support of your Fertility Educator, you will be able to identify if something is not quite right. A report can be prepared for your chosen Health Professional so that further investigations can be made.
- If you are under 35 and have been trying for 1 year, visit your GP to get a referral for further tests.
- If you are 35 or over, only wait 6 months before visiting your GP.
Whilst you will be referred to a fertility clinic, it does not mean that you have to go ahead with treatment, but you will have the benefit of getting those extra investigations done which might identify a reason for why it is taking longer for you.
If you are not eligible for a publicly funded referral, the skills that you will have learnt via Fertility Awareness will support you while you get all your other ducks in a row.
Trying to get pregnant can be a real challenge for many, in fact 1 in 4 kiwi couples will have some trouble when trying to conceive. Know that you are not alone in experiencing this (even though it may feel that way!). Fertility NZ is an organisation that offers support to those experiencing all kinds of infertility.
Can I use Fertility Awareness while Breastfeeding?
Yes you can, but not the same version that you used when trying to conceive! In the next article, we will look into how you can delay the return to fertility with breastfeeding.